


Dodging a bullet

by maroongrad



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Field Trip, Flash Thompson Bullies Peter Parker, Flash Thompson Redemption, Interns & Internships, Peter Parker's Field Trip to Stark Industries, Stark Industries, academic decathlon - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:42:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26569744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maroongrad/pseuds/maroongrad
Summary: A few authors had written stories where Peter doesn't tell anyone about Flash because he's trying to protect Flash from some very serious repercussions.It's short, but still ten times longer than I expected. AcaDec team goes on a field trip to SI, Peter actually has an internship there (mostly as an excuse to drop by any time and work on his suit and webs), and Flash sees the error of his ways.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 483





	Dodging a bullet

The bus had delivered them to the front of Stark tower, and every pair of eyes on the AcaDec team was staring in awe. Except MJ, who stared in awe at pretty much nothing but Pepper Potts and Hope Pym, and Peter, who had left the building late the night before. Mr. Stark had registered him as a personal intern so that Peter could access any supplies and come in at any time he needed. Last night he'd run low on web fluid not long past 9 pm and a set of very energetic attempted thieves. He'd stopped by, made more fluid, then started some maintenance on the webshooters, chatted with Karen, and before he knew it, midnight was approaching. He'd webbed home on the new fluid and was now paying for that lack of sleep. He was tired enough that, even if he was a first-time visitor, he wasn't likely to be staring in awe, just yawning in exhaustion.

And it didn't take long for Flash to get started. Peter had arrived at the last second, taken a seat with Ned and directly in front of MJ, and slept. Anything Flash said he wasn't going to hear unless Flash was shouting loud enough for the teachers to notice, so the bully had been silent. Now he made his way over to stand by Peter, body angled slightly away so the teachers wouldn't realize who he was talking to, and began to taunt.

"So, your buddy Tony Stark going to meet us here?" "Hey, Penis, can we see your bench since you're an intern here? Oh, wait, they don't take high schoolers!" "Wonder how much trouble you'll get in when they find out you're lying?" Peter just ignored him, a cold ball of dread building in his stomach as he realized what was going to happen. He'd ignored Flash for a variety of reasons; to keep others from being bullied, because he could take it, and, honestly, because he'd seen how Flash's parents acted and didn't act. Even at Nationals, they hadn't bothered to show, and the few times he'd seen them at Parent Teacher conferences, the mother had looked disgusted, the father frustrated and angry, and Flash had looked a bit scared. Hearing them ranting at Flash for only getting an 88% on a test filled in the last bit of information. Only MJ had gotten a perfect score on the Civics test, and he'd had a single missed answer himself. The class average was in the low sixties. It was possible Flash had the next highest score but his parents obviously didn't care. 

Flash "accidentally" bumped him when he noticed Peter's attention wandering off him. "Hey, moron, you notice how you lied about this and still no one likes you?" "I thought you'd be smart enough to at least pick a decent lie that was somewhat believable. They wouldn't even take you as an orphan charity case so the pity would make their PR happy." Peter paid only the slightest attention to him, the ball of ice spreading as he could clearly see the future waiting for them on the other side of the shiny glass doors. Flash was just beginning his insult about Peter maybe getting a spot fetching coffee in return for sore knees when the situation changed.

Peter KNEW what was going to happen. He'd hidden the bullying for a couple years, from teachers and Stark and everyone, and Flash was going to make that impossible. He looked up at Flash, the bully briefly speechless at the cold eyes.  
"I have spent the last two years protecting you, Flash, because I know what your home life is like." Flash was too shocked to retaliate quickly and as he took a breath, Peter continued. "Through those doors is an AI that watches the entire building. Her name is Friday, and she likes me. You know I'm smarter than you and I don't brag. Use that brain you have. If I am telling the truth, and you start this crap up inside? I will not be able to protect you."

Serious brown eyes bore into Flash, and while the boy was speechless, the teachers began to organize them to go inside. Flash watched as ID badges were passed out...and Peter didn't get one, but somehow had a badge was hanging on his neck. Everyone had to put their phones up, but the outline of a phone was in Peter's pocket. Everyone stored their stuff in a locker and swiped their ID badge to lock it...except Peter, who hadn't brought anything. Flash was too focused on Peter to notice that Ned and MJ didn't get badges, either. They'd pulled out their own badges that said Guest, not Visitor.

They walked past the great round entry table, and one of the people there waved at Peter. The woman next to him also looked up, smiled at Peter, and said "Good morning, Pete!". The tour guide saw him and grinned briefly. The kicker?

When they got on the elevator to start the tour? As soon as the doors closed, a female voice greeted Peter and asked him which floor he wanted to go to. 

"Thanks, Fri, but I'm part of a tour today, so I'll be with the tour."

"Would you like me to let Boss know you won't be coming by the lab? He is aware you are in the building."

"Yes, thank you Friday. Please tell Mr. Stark that I can still come by after school."

"Will do, Pete. Enjoy your tour!"

While everyone stood, surprised speechless (except the tour guide), Peter looked right at Flash and nodded.

Flash gulped. Peter knew the AI, it knew him, he had a lab, he knew Mr. Stark, and it seemed everybody up to and including the AI liked Peter.

And if Peter hadn't warned him...

He didn't hear much of the next part of the tour, his mind whirling over the might-have-beens and how stupid he had been to bully the one person he knew that could have helped him possibly get a foot in the door at SI. It was the best science company in the world and every nerd's dream job. Then the head intern of the computer science division stopped in his explanation of how they designed software for the search-and-rescue snakes to ask Ned, by name, to explain the section he'd had a hand in designing. In the cafeteria, a smartly-dressed college student in a business suit greeted Michelle by name. He couldn't hear what they chatted about, but both of them seemed to think nothing of a Stark employee, probably legal, marketing, or PR, stopping to chat with a high schooler.

He was never, never, never going to bully someone ever again. And he owed Parker the biggest apology ever and the biggest thank you. One word from him before today, which Flash had to admit he deserved, and Parker could have pretty much destroyed his future. Ned and MJ, maybe, too. 

Bullying Parker was the biggest mistake of his life, and while he had never appreciated just how nice the guy was before this, he was thankful beyond words for Peter's consideration.


End file.
